


Aegis

by RK Ten Hundred (Shokubenii)



Series: RK1K Week 2019 [3]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, Body Horror, Conkus - Freeform, Drama, F/F, F/M, Foul Language, Gore, M/M, Magic, Romance, Violence, explicit content, rk ten hundred, rk1k - Freeform, rkonethousand
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-18
Updated: 2018-12-18
Packaged: 2019-09-21 13:37:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17044721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shokubenii/pseuds/RK%20Ten%20Hundred
Summary: For what is a kingdom without its king?





	Aegis

Hooves sank into the wet grass, steadily uneven galloping the only sound between the two travelers, each mounted on a steed of his own.  
  
Night was fast approaching, a silent stalker of the daylight. The sun sunk below the horizon, drawing over it a blanket of stars and dragging the moon down from the heavens with the weight of its setting. The valleys they tread were vast, stretching far beyond the sight of a normal man, sewn together by the Furis Rivers and hinged to the rest of the world by the Dhalik Mountains.  
  
Mismatched eyes need not look ahead to know what lay beyond; they knew the paths intimately—not from any experience in their own lifetime, but from memory—a memory that hailed from another time before their own. The road ahead had no need of his focus, no. What they concentrated on instead was the pallid nape of the soldier that rode ahead on the other black steed.  
  
Connor.  
  
That was all he was given by way of recognizing the brown haired man—this man who had the face of a harmless farmer but the prowess of a hardened warrior and…something else. Something that lingered on the spot where green and blue eyes kept falling when the soldier’s back was turned. Something that made his chest tingle with the rage of phantom flames. Something always hidden behind that upturned collar. Something—.  
  
“Is something the matter, Your Majesty?”  
  
“It’s Markus.”  
  
Of course, the soldier would never acknowledge this after nearly a month of fruitless attempts of correction. The expected silence that followed was proof enough. Markus bit back a sigh and turned his eyes skyward, whispering a prayer to the goddess for patience with this stubborn mule of a man.  
  
The Yellow Forest ambled forward to greet them with a wooden embrace. It was a forest of a different kind—legendary for its breadth…and its depth. The earth capsized beneath its roots the further one went in; not many traveled the pathless wildwood and even less made it to the other side.  
  
Markus’ eyes clamped shut, head ducking quickly to dislodge the hard, wet thing that fell into one of them. The back of his hand came away moist and he cast another mindful eye to the stars. So far were his thoughts from the weather, he never took notice of the quilted clouds coming to blind the night sky. He looked back at the knight who was much further ahead than before and urged his own horse to catch up.  
  
The rains beat the earth, assaulting their shoulders and horses where the torrents couldn’t meet the ground. They’d slowed to a steady canter, Markus finally drawing flank to his solemn companion. And in a moment, the rain had stopped, falling around them instead of on them.  
  
Markus looked up to see the shimmer of what he knew to be a barrier of some sort. And with it, the tingling in his chest manifested, his eyes immediately latching onto the silent man’s hidden nape. He tore his gaze away, instead peering into Connor’s face. But the man only stared ahead, gauntlets fastened around his own reins as both horses eased into a trot from the gallop they’d escaped the last village with.  
  
“It would be in our best interest to travel through the night, Your Majesty,” he said, startling the young man out of his thoughts.  
  
Majesty.  
  
King.  
  
Liege.  
  
Markus was unsure that he would ever become used to such loud and flagrant titles... He was no king; he was merely a humble hunter who wanted nothing more than to protect the home he’d known all his twenty five years of living. Until a man with a sword—that he had yet to unsheathe even—came to his aid in battle for his home against the savage beasts of the torn Veil.  
  
A man with a sword who knew him by name, face and superfluous appellations that didn’t—shouldn’t—belong to him.  
  
“Is it impossible to find shelter somewhere in this forest for the night?” Markus did his best to capture the brown gaze that continued to elude his. “Is there no mention of a cave of some sort to lay our heads until the storm passes?”  
  
“No, my Liege,” Connor answered stiffly. “This is not a forest any traveler would chance closing his eyes for more than a moment.”  
  
Markus hummed, ignoring his irritation at the noble title. “And why is that?”  
  
Admittedly, he only wanted Connor to speak more; the other man was far too quiet. Markus may not be the most talkative himself, but some conversation was better than parading around on horseback with a marble statue as company.  
  
“The Yellow Forest is infested with creatures from the Veil,” the soldier obliged, brown eyes darting this way and that—always looking for something that’s never there. “Just entering this place has put us both at great risk.”  
  
“Then why not find another path?”  
  
“There is a lesser chance of being followed.”  
  
“Yet lesser still of us making it out alive regardless.”  
  
“So you are aware of where we are, then, Your Majesty?”  
  
“Markus. And yes, however vaguely.”  
  
When it seemed Connor wasn’t about to continue, Markus released the sigh he’d held captive for so long. “Yes,” he grunted, following the soldier’s gaze this way and that, “you’ve informed me that I would know things when the time came, however…”  
  
He pursed his lips, worrying the bottom one with his teeth.  
  
Blue and green met brown for the briefest moment, Markus finally able to peer into the eyes of the man who helped him. Rescued and protected him. Nursed him back to health.  
  
All without question nor grumble. And yet…the only thing he saw in those dark depths was nothing but despair.  
  
Connor quickly looked away, urging his horse into a quicker pace.  
  
“You are safe, Majesty.”  
  
Markus’ brows furrowed, worry a sharp relief in the waning moonlight where Connor could not see. “I know I am.”  
  
And the thought weighed more heavily on his chest than fearing the unknown dangers that await them in the ever gaping maw of the forest ahead.

**Author's Note:**

> This was thrown up as Day4 for RK1K Week - Royalty AU.
> 
> Welcome to another small baby of possible epic proportions. Y'all need to give thanks to my babs Yoho for coaxing a fic out of it. Originally for an event, I've replaced it with something else, and here we are.
> 
> And so I officially welcome you along on this little journey across the vast lands of wherever these guys are--to the maw of dragons and demons. I hope you come to enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it.
> 
> Please, don't be shy and let me know your thoughts! I love speaking to you all.


End file.
